1572 parish church found

Construction on Aviles Street reveals historical surprises

When St Augustine officials decided to remove parking on what is probably one of the nation's oldest streets, it opened up an opportunity for the city's archaeology department to find out more about the history of the Oldest City.

What they found was solid evidence of a church dating from 1572 -- evidence of the location of the first parish church of St. Augustine.

It's the first physical evidence of Nuestra Senora de Los Remedios (Our Lady of the Remedies), according to City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt.

His voice still carries a bit of the excitement and wonder when talking about how he and his team uncovered the builder's trench and the wall that marked the rear of the church near the east corner of King and Aviles streets.

"It was on the west, the back wall. The front of the church faced toward the bay," Halbirt said. He thinks it's the first church in the state with documented archaeology.

More discoveries were made including post holes that date back the 16th century, pottery and human bones.

Those bones offer up another mystery. Only feet and leg bones were discovered, and they came from two people.

"Apparently the bodies were dug up and moved. We're not sure how long they were there, because the feet bones were still (together)," Halbirt said.

Whoever moved the bones probably wanted to get the job over with and moved the bodies as quickly as possible, missing portions of bodies.

Halbirt doesn't know who the bones belonged to, although he thinks they were removed about 400 years ago and reburied. They could be the bodies of priests.

He's more certain about why the bodies were moved. One of the post holes found midway in the wall is sunk about three feet, and he believes it was the base of a large cross.

"That's probably where they put the cross (for the church). They had to move the bodies in order to put in the cross," he said.

Finding the church wall is a bit of a coup. While people knew about the church and had an idea of its location, no evidence of the structure had been found.

Early maps, including the Baptiste Boazio map of 1586 and the Hernado de Mestas map of 1593, show the church. The churchyard was located in the 1960s when graves were discovered nearby.

The Hernando de Mestas map included a drawing of the church. The building was of vertical board with a sort of thatched roof. It was a large building, about 37 feet wide and 60 to 70 feet long. To one side, there's a campanario, or belfry. Four bells hung from the structure.

Built about 1572, the church was rebuilt twice after suffering damage. Once it was destroyed during a raid by Sir Francis Drake, an English privateer. Later it was damaged by fire and a hurricane.

In 1702 the British burned St. Augustine and Los Remedios. That ended the parish of Nuestra Senora de los Remedios. The Spanish congregation moved to Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, which began as a hospital and small chapel in the late 1500s. Soledad was located on a St. George Street property owned by the religious order of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Even though the exact location of Los Remedios was lost over time, people apparently remembered the ground had been sacred. Digging in the area, little debris was found dating before the 1800s, and that's an indication people retained an awareness the church had been there, said Halbirt.

While the excavations done in August had to be recovered so that Aviles Street could reopen, plans are under way to put up signs telling passersby what is below the surface.

"That way they have an idea of what was here and they'll know more about the area," Halbirt said.

Nuestra Senora de Los Remedios

1572 - First church built.

1586 - Church destroyed during raid by Sir Francis Drake.

1587 - Second church rebuilt

1599 - Destroyed by fire and a hurricane.

Church rebuilt, stayed in use until the British burned St. Augustine in 1702

Sources: Cross & Crozier, a history of the Diocese of St. Augustine, by Charles Gallagher, Ph.D., and St. Augustine Catholic, October 2010 edition.

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I was hoping to see a picture or two. I'm sure not driving down there to see it LOL. Carl you got a cool job!!! Thanks for the story however if you guys could post some pics or I'm just missing where there at? I'd appreciate it.

St. Augustine Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline with City of St. Augustine archaeologist Carl Halbirt and filmmaker Bruce Merwin capture ground breaking video at a dig on Aviles Street in historic St. Augustine, Florida.